Young engineers design devices using fluid power

Carlynton Junior-Senior High School hosted a Fluid Power Action Challenge Thursday, March 28 in the school’s Cougar Collaboration Center (CCC). Students from Carlynton, Chartiers Valley, Cornell, Moon Area, Montour, and South Fayette school districts gathered at the high school bright and early to prepare for competition.

Working in teams of two or three, individuals were directed to construct fluid power devices from a kit containing lightweight balsa wood, dowel rods, plastic tubing, syringes, glue, and more, within a given time limit. A portfolio was also assembled to defend the approach used to design and build a fluid power device. Competition began at noon before a team of judges.

The key feature of the devices designed by students was the fluid power. The contraptions were required to be engineered to incorporate tubing. As water was forced through the tubing with a syringe, the device, if designed correctly, would move, rotate, grasp, and lift.

The Fluid Power Action Challenge requires teams to build a device that will pick up wooden cylindrical objects from a “start” position and then place them in one of three destination zones. The objects, weighing about 1-1/2 ounces, must be moved and placed in an upright position. The task is to transport as many objects as possible in a time frame of two minutes. Teams were required to choose the destination zone for each cylinder. If a cylinder was dropped in transit, it was returned to the starting position.

Congratulations to the teams from Chartiers Valley, Carlynton, and Moon Area who placed first, second, and third, respectively, in the competition.

Competitors had the chance to gather in the CCC in February for a workshop day. The trial-run gave students the opportunity to collaborate, strategize and analyze designs while becoming familiar with materials, guidelines, and the fundamentals of fluid power.

Wojanis Hydraulic Supply Company of Coraopolis was the proud sponsor of the Fluid Power Challenge. The company hosted its first event in Pittsburgh in 2011. Since then, the event has grown into four separate challenges in Western Pa. The competition is recognized by the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA).

Fluid power, or hydraulics, has a number of applications in our everyday world. Common examples of the use of fluid power can be found at gasoline pumps, vehicle braking systems, dishwashers, and amusement park rides. Hydraulics are used in construction equipment such as cranes and fork lifts, in elevators, and even in the theater where sections of a stage are raised or lowered.

The NFPA designed the Fluid Power Action Challenge as an interactive means to introduce students to the intriguing world of hydraulics, pneumatics, and engineering. The event also gives teens the option to grow familiar with a rewarding career in fluid power.